Christmas in July 2017: Niall McGarry

Richard Attenborough from 1994's Miracle on 34th Street.

Christmas in July 2017: Niall McGarry

1) Who's your favorite Santa Claus?

I haven't yet found a Santa that matches up to the Santa Claus of my imagination but the Coca Cola Santa probably comes the closest but worthy mentions should also go to Edmund Gwenn, Richard Attenborough, Ed Asner & David Huddleston.

 Only Fools and Horses.

2) What's your favorite Christmas episode from a TV series?

In the UK, series tend to end before the holiday season and instead we are treated to a special extended seasonal version of a popular series. I'm going to cheat here and choose 3 very different UK favourites. My first choice is a special episode of Only Fools and Horses called 'The Jolly Boys Outing' and was first shown on Christmas Day in 1989. Like many UK Christmas specials, Christmas doesn't feature at all and the episode actually takes place over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Despite that, it is forever associated with Christmas. My 2nd choice is The Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special from 2008. This special episode actually revolves around a typically British Christmas and the prospective in-laws et al coming to stay, just delightful. My 3rd choice is "The Worst Christmas of My Life," which is a special version of the sitcom The Worst Week of My Life and was shown in 3 parts during Christmas week in 2006 and is about the new parents bringing their first baby home to the wife's parents for Christmas. This is played as a very British farce and everything that can go wrong goes wrong.


3) Do you enjoy watching Christmas entertainment year round or do you only like watching it during the holidays? And, why?

I try to limit what I watch outside the holiday season in order to rack up the anticipation but I do allow myself to watch the odd Christmas TV movie I've still got recorded when I'm in need of a fuzzy boost.


4) This is the 21st century--how do you watch TV and/or Christmas entertainment? 

We use all the platforms but I'd say we watch mostly the terrestrial channels via antenna as they are very good over Christmas but we have satellite, Amazon & Netflix as well and if there is a seasonal special then we'll catch it there. I have a collection of favourite DVDs of movies and specials and will watch those as well. If there is a special cinema showing of a Christmas classic then we might go and see that and we usually go to see Royal National Ballet's production of The Nutcracker every year if we can.

2005's The Family Stone.

5) If you were to be stranded on an island (maybe Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean!), what three Christmas movies, specials, or episodes would you like to have with you?

A very hard choice but two movies we absolutely must watch every Christmas is White Christmas & The Family Stone. Very different but both are much loved and we will only watch those during the holiday season. My third choice is an episode of my favourite sitcom Frasier, "Merry Christmas Mrs Moskowitz." It is so clever and is the classic farce with characters coming in and out of doors just avoiding each other. The dialogue & timing is just faultless and is one of the funniest episodes ever written.

Christmas in July 2017: Jakki

Christmas in July 2017: Jakki - Christmas Movies & Music: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ChristmasMoviesAndMusic and http://www.facebook.com/ChristmasMoviesAndMusic

1) Who's your favorite Santa Claus?

My favorite Santa Claus would be the one from Ernest Saves Christmas, played by Douglas Seale. He is perfect in so many ways, down to his jolly nature and the twinkle in his eye. I especially love his child-like innocence, which is perfectly displayed in the scene while he is watching them film a horror movie called "Christmas Slay," but thinks it's called "Christmas Sleigh." He is so delighted as the family in the scene is preparing for St. Nick's arrival, when a monster busts down the door and begins to attack them. He finds the idea of "terrorizing children at Christmas" so appalling that he actually assaults the director. Now that's a Santa that won't let anyone mess with Christmas!

2) What's your favorite Christmas episode from a TV series? 

My favorite Christmas episode would have to be "Met Someone" from Mad About You. This is a flashback episode where Paul and Jamie first met. For anyone who is familiar with the show, it's known that they met at a newspaper stand, but this episode not only shows that first encounter, but also what happens next. Paul finds out where Jamie works and in an effort to win her over, endures her office Christmas party and a line of questioning from friends. It ends in a sweet moment as their life together begins, proving once again that miracles abound at Christmas.

3) Do you enjoy watching Christmas entertainment year round or do you only like watching it during the holidays? And, why?

I get what I call the "Christmas Fuzzies" throughout the year and usually indulge by watching some obscure Christmas movie or TV episode that I probably wouldn't have a chance to watch during the Christmas season. We usually stick to the classics in December, so it's during the other months of the year that I get to delve deeper into my love of Christmas. Of course Christmas In July is another great excuse to do so!

4) This is the 21st century--how do you watch TV and/or Christmas entertainment?

I usually watch most of my Christmas entertainment on DVD or online (Netflix, YouTube etc). When it comes to holiday episodes, I like to rip my favorites onto a digital media format and keep them organized for easy access. Then I usually watch them on my computer or connect my usb storage through my Bluray player to watch directly on the television. I love the many options now available to us these days so we no longer have to wait for these episodes to air.

5) If you were to be stranded on an island (maybe Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean!), what three Christmas movies, specials, or episodes would you like to have with you?

Only 3?? That's incredibly difficult, but I'd go with ones that never seem to get old...White Christmas, Home Alone & A Charlie Brown Christmas - all three have a terrific soundtrack to boot!

Christmas in July 2017: Net

Christmas in July 2017: Net from It's a Wonderful Movie

1) Who's your favorite Santa Claus?

My absolute favorite Santas are Edmund Glenn and Richard Attenborough in Miracle on 34th Street – the first one & the remake! I just love how both Santas relate to young Susan Walker and convince her, eventually, to believe! They’re both such a child at heart! The best gift “Santa” gives Susan and her mother Doris is learning to have faith again!

I also love Charles Durning in Hallmark's A Boyfriend for Christmas and Donovan Scott in Matchmaker Santa! They have such a jolly, happy sparkle!!!

from the 1959 Christmas episode of Dennis the Menace.

2) What's your favorite Christmas episode from a TV series?

Dennis the Menace and The Waltons are my two favorite Christmas episodes! I just love how each of them are about family, traditions, and everything sentimental and special about Christmas!

When Dennis, who IS such a menace, sings "Silent Night" at the end of each Dennis the Menace Christmas episode, he seems like such a little angel then. Everyone's hearts soften toward the boy and all is well at Christmas!

As for The Waltons... What greater joy can be found - when all the family, who had been previously separated, all come home for Christmas! My heart is filled with such happiness just thinking about it!


3) Do you enjoy watching Christmas entertainment year round or do you only like watching it during the holidays? And, why?

I LOVE CHRISTMAS ALL YEAR ROUND!!! Why wait for the Christmas season, when one can celebrate the true spirit of Christmas every day of the Year!!!


4) This is the 21st century--how do you watch TV and/or Christmas entertainment?

Throughout the Christmas season- I enjoy watching Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, UP, INSP, TCM, and any other stations that play family Christmas movies!

The rest of the year, I rely on my Christmas DVD collection, or whatever I still have on my recorder from Christmastime!

from 1944's Meet Me in St. Louis.

5) If you were to be stranded on an island (maybe Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean!), what three Christmas movies, specials, or episodes would you like to have with you?

This is a really great question! Oh my goodness, it’s so hard to narrow it down to only three, but I would have to choose... It's a Wonderful Life, Meet Me in St. Louis, and A Charlie Brown Christmas!

I would want It's a Wonderful Life as a daily reminder of the important things in life, family and friends. My second choice Meet Me in St. Louis is always upbeat, there's such a good energy in the movie with all the amazing songs and musical numbers. That would be essential to have to keep up one's spirit! And then, A Charlie Brown Christmas to always remind me - to not focus on things of this world, but to remember the Christ child!

Christmas in July 2017: Dominic Caruso

 
Christmas in July 2017: Dominic Caruso from 1701 Press

1) Who's your favorite Santa Claus?

Even though he’s not the central character of the movie, my favorite Santa is the store Santa from A Christmas Story. Now, he often gets kind of a bad rap, being described as “grumpy” or “angry,” but I don’t see it that way at all. He strikes me as a quintessentially Midwestern working class, over-worked guy, and that’s why he’s my favorite. He’s trying to do a nice thing for the kids, but his job is unrelenting and his work environment is ridiculous. The kids have to climb an absurdly high platform to get to him, after which they’re expected to make a rapid descent to the ground floor on an equally absurd and terrifying slide. Management is unreasonable—and Santa says so to his helper elf. The line of kids is endless despite the rapidly approaching closing time of the store. Is Santa going to be paid overtime for his labor? Probably not. His disheveled appearance suggests he hasn’t had a break in a long time, if at all. He’s been on the job so long that all he has left in the way of Santa-y patter is to shout “Ho-Ho-Ho!” The situation has exhausted his Santa reserves and yet he tries to be tender to the kids on his lap. By the time Ralphie scrambles back up to the top of the slide to blurt out what he really wants—a Red Ryder B-B Gun—our world-weary Santa doesn’t have the energy to indulge him with a bit of Santa’s whimsy. Instead, the practical, realistic, overworked Midwestern guy comes out: “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid,” he shrugs, and carefully, gently, pushes Ralphie down the slide with the toe of his boot. Classic.

from 1995 Christmas episode of The Simpsons.

2) What's your favorite Christmas episode from a TV series?

“Marge Be Not Proud,” from The Simpsons. Every single joke is funny and this episode has a lot of heart. Plus: Lee Carvallo’s Putting Challenge.

3) Do you enjoy watching Christmas entertainment year round or do you only like watching it during the holidays? And, why?

I like seeing Christmas entertainment year round, but I don’t usually seek it out. For me, it’s always more powerful during the holidays because it enhances the holiday atmosphere.

4) This is the 21st century--how do you watch TV and/or Christmas entertainment?

I mostly watch via cable, but also DVDs from the library, and some Netflix. The options for viewing are numerous and I am very lazy, so I watch via whatever service is in front of me at the moment, mostly.

5) If you were to be stranded on an island (maybe Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean!), what three Christmas movies, specials, or episodes would you like to have with you?

A Charlie Brown Christmas (it’s like a work of classic American literature at this point). Emmett Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (it has great music, characters, humor and sentiment). Miracle on 34th Street (it’s a movie that I’ve only seen once or twice, so this would be a good opportunity to spend some quality time with it).

Christmas in July 2017: David Hofstede

 
Christmas in July 2017: David Hofstede from Comfort TV

1) Who's your favorite Santa Claus?

While the film itself certainly has its problems, I’ve always thought David Huddleston was marvelous in Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)

from 1964 Christmas episode of Bewitched.

2) What's your favorite Christmas episode from a TV series?

Bewitched, season one: “A Vision of Sugar Plums.” Samantha teaches Will Robinson the true meaning of Christmas, before he is adopted by Major  Healey. It’s the perfect classic TV Christmas show.

3) Do you enjoy watching Christmas entertainment year round or do you only like watching it during the holidays? And, why?

I used to limit myself to the holiday season, but I’ve changed my mind in recent years. Now I make sure I watch at least two Christmas TV episodes every month.

4) This is the 21st century--how do you watch TV and/or Christmas entertainment?

I have a huge TV on DVD collection, and there’s where my holiday entertainment comes from. But YouTube is a wonderful source of vintage Christmas commercials, which I enjoy year round. Whenever I want to see Santa riding into town on a Norelco razor, or champagne glasses clinking to ‘Carol of the Bells’ in the Andre commercial, that’s where I go.

Ricky Nelson singing "The Christmas Song" from The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet.

5) If you were to be stranded on an island (maybe Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean!), what three Christmas movies, specials, or episodes would you like to have with you?

1. Bewitched - “A Vision of Sugar Plums”

2. The Donna Reed Show - “A Very Merry Christmas”

3. The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet - “Busy Christmas” (the rebroadcast, which includes Ricky Nelson’s rendition of ‘The Christmas Song.’

Christmas in July 2017: Jim Randle

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

 
Christmas in July 2017: Jim Randle of Paris, Tennessee

1) Who's your favorite Santa Claus?

The story goes that Natalie Wood was crest fallen when she saw Edmund Gwenn without his beard because she really believed he was Santa Claus. And I agree with her. His depiction of Kris Kringle was perfect.

Friends' 2000 episode "The One With the Holiday Armadillo."

2) What's your favorite Christmas episode from a TV series?

The Holiday Armadillo episode of Friends has to top the list. The three male leads were hilarious. David Schwimmer as the Holiday Armadillo, Matthew Perry as Santa, and Matt LeBlanc as Christmas Superman. As usual the writing for the episode was first rate, especially the lines given to Perry ("Weird Turtle Man." "I especially liked the part where Superman flew down and saved all of the Jews.")

3) Do you enjoy watching Christmas entertainment year round or do you only like watching it during the holidays? And, why?

For the most part I watch Christmas programs during the season. However if it's something I really like and I happen to come across it on TV, I will watch. This usually only pertains to series television, though. I mainly save Christmas features for the holidays.

4) This is the 21st century--how do you watch TV and/or Christmas entertainment?

I'm an older fellow (71) so I mainly watch in house entertainment through either broadcast (cable) TV or my home library. My cable contract is only for extended cable and does not include premium channels like Showtime or HBO. And I've never seen anything on streaming services that has interested me.

1979 TV movie An American Christmas Carol starring Henry Winkler.

5) If you were to be stranded on an island (maybe Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean!), what three Christmas movies, specials, or episodes would you like to have with you?

I'd start with John Denver and the Muppets - A Christmas Together. I saw someone mention this special in a previous "Christmas in July" and I will add my sentiment that I wish it were available on official DVD release. I've also had a soft spot in my heart for An American Christmas Carol starring Henry Winkler. Although it is kind of dated (the ghost of Christmas Future is dressed like a disco dancer) it's a fine piece of holiday entertainment. Finally I would probably take a copy of A Charlie Brown Christmas because . . well, because it's A Charlie Brown Christmas. That's reason enough!

Christmas in July 2017: SleepyKittyPaws

Christmas in July 2017: SleepyKittyPaws of http://sleepykittypaws.tumblr.com/

1) Who's your favorite Santa Claus?

I'm partial to Ed Asner's Santa, mostly due to Elf, but Asner has played Santa before, and is slated to do so again, for good reason. His gruff but lovable voice and overall demeanor definitely suit the role (pun intended), and Elf's gentle-but-somewhat-cynical Santa gives the Jolly Old Elf a modern spin, without sacrificing Santa's inherent innocence and charm. And perhaps most importantly for a man whose bushy beard hides his features, Asner's deep laugh translates into a true, booming "ho ho ho" that perfectly embodies the cheeky, magical man in red.

I'd also like to award honorable mentions to Edmund Gwenn's classic appearance as Kris Kringle in the original Miracle on 34th Street, who set the Santa standard for generations of moviegoers, and the various charismatic & indelible animated portrayals of the North Pole's most famous resident. From Rudolph's red-cheeked employer, to Prep & Landing's rarely-seen, red-coated head honcho and the Polar Express' winsome Santa-as-Celebrity portrayal, most of our first impressions of Christmas' Big Guy come from stories and specials featuring famous voices, but hand-drawn, or CGI, visages.

2) What's your favorite Christmas episode from a TV series?

Oh my, so very many to chose from!

The Simpsons have put together half a dozen remarkable holiday episodes, including their pilot outing, "Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire" (1989).

 Last year, Disney Channel put out a special 30-minute episode of its new Mickey Mouse cartoon short series, titled, "Duck the Halls," that is sure to become an annual must-watch in our house, though that treads the line between stand-alone special (since it can definitely be watched that way & is outside its series normal format), and series holiday-centric episode.

As does another animated fav (also from the Disney Channel), "Phineas & Ferb Christmas Vacation," where Santa threatens to skip Danville due to a Doofenshmirtz inator that puts the entire town on the naughty list. This sweet & funny extra-long episode, released as a stand-alone in 2009, is a yearly tradition in our house.

The other, more offbeat choice that came to mind is the holiday episode of the one-season-wonder, Trophy Wife. A more grown-up Christmas laugh, in "'Twas the Night Before Christmas...Or 'Twas It"(2013), the adult members of the extended Trophy Wife family struggle to unravel the mystery of exactly what happened on Christmas Eve after their memories go blank, thanks to some especially potent mulled wine. Unexpected and uproariously funny, this was one of the most clever, and completely unique, sitcom salutes to the holiday I've ever seen.

3) Do you enjoy watching Christmas entertainment year round or do you only like watching it during the holidays? And, why?

As a serious Christmas TV & movie junkie I limit myself to indulging only during the holiday season. Granted, I have extended that window to roughly November 1, having learned since I had little ones that the time between Thanksgiving & Christmas flies by so quickly, with so many events & obligations, that if I wait until after we carve the turkey, as I used to, I'll barely get to see anything at all.

To me, holding out, makes it sweeter. There's nothing I enjoy more than sitting down to enjoy the first Hallmark movie of the season with my husband and a glass of wine in my decorated -- albeit for Thanksgiving -- house. Waiting until the time of year is upon us, makes it special, a teeny bit sacred and absolutely influences my overall holiday spirit!

Not to mention that movies and specials are an integral part of our family Christmas traditions. The day before Thanksgiving I spend alone in the kitchen, prepping for the big day and watching a marathon of my favorite Christmas films. When everything is set for the feast, we sit down as a family and watch Love, Actually. A movie I've seen, roughly, 1,000,000 times, but still never fails to make me cry. What for many would be a day of drudgery -- 8+ hours of baking, cooking & cleaning -- is, for me, one I look forward to all year long.

We also have a family TV advent calendar, of sorts, letting the kids choose an animated special every night between Thanksgiving & Christmas, that we all watch together. It feels cozy and ramps up the entire clan's Christmas spirit.

4) This is the 21st century--how do you watch TV and/or Christmas entertainment?

Almost all of the above. We've got, probably, 100+ movies and specials -- all of our favs and annual must-sees -- on DVD, blu-ray and/or purchased in iTunes, and my DIRECTV DVR is full thru January with Christmas movies, specials & holiday series episodes. We've also got Netflix, Hulu & Amazon Prime. All are sources for our nightly, holiday TV viewing. Honestly, other than sports, I'd say we don't watch much BUT Christmas-themed fare throughout November & December.

Actually the glut of options, and the sheer, overwhelming amount of annual content, is why I started to make a list of all the new, holiday fare that will be airing each year. What started as a Google doc shared between friends, eventually got put online at http://sleepykittypaws.tumblr.com/, though I still do it primarily to keep track myself of what's out there.

5) If you were to be stranded on an island (maybe Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean!), what three Christmas movies, specials, or episodes would you like to have with you?

So tough to decide! Years ago I made a list with some friends and struggled to limit myself to 10 choices from various categories (theatrical films, made-for-TV movies, animated specials, classic films) so picking just three total seems pert near impossible, but I'll give it a go ...

1) Christmas Vacation - It is no exaggeration to say I know every word of this film by heart and can (obnoxiously) recite it even before the characters say them onscreen. But even with that, I never get tired of watching Clark's adventures in exterior illuminations or Audrey being frozen from the waist down. Just hearing the opening "Christmas Vacation" theme song & seeing the Santa animation makes me happy. To me, it means, It's that time, Christmas is here and everybody knows there's not a better time of year. 🎅🏼

2) Love, Actually - I've already said we watch this, literally, every single Thanksgiving Eve, and despite seeing it countless times I always cry when Uncle Jamie proposes to Aurelia, Sarah gives her brother the scarf and Emma Thompson learns her husband has given a necklace to someone else. I admit that Hugh Grant danced his way into my heart long before he played the Prime Minister and this movie not only has him at his most affably charming outside Four Weddings and a Funeral, but probably boasts the greatest overall cast ever assembled for a rom-com. Heck, I even cried over the Red Nose Day sequel that debuted this year and am trying to find out where I can get a copy for future re-viewings.

I know Love, Actually can be polarizing but, to me, it's perfect.

3) While my one-two picks came easily, as they're by far my very favorites, deciding on "just one" more is decidedly trickier. Do I go with my all-time favorite animated special, The Grinch?  I honestly can't imagine a Christmas season without seeing it, or Charlie Brown Christmas, or The Year Without a Santa Claus, or A Garfield Christmas. How could I possibly pick just one?

How about The Polar Express, which is the first movie our eldest ever really watched, kicking of a still-secure lifetime love of trains, and is now our family Christmas Eve, viewing tradition? Perhaps my all-time favorite made-for-TV Christmas movie, Holiday Switch, which embodies the cheesy, crazy goodness of its genre by having a Baywatch babe climb through her clothes dryer into an alternate holiday reality? The catchy, feel-good Britishness of Nativity!, whose soundtrack is almost as good as this underrated, sweet, funny film?

But I think if you held a Christmas cracker to my head, I might have to go with the Prep & Landing series (2 specials & 1 short) for sheer classic Christmas spirit, combined with rampant rewatch-ability. The story of Lanny the elf adds new lore to the Christmas canon and delights both kids and adults. Both festive & funny, this is the very best of the modern Christmas specials to my mind. I'm still holding out hope that Disney will deliver a promised third, full-length installment.